Warren ECC and ED Foundations Distribute More Than $157,000 in 2015

Apr 08, 2016

The Warren Area Chamber of Commerce Education, Civic & Cultural and Economic Development foundations distributed $157,200 to multiple organizations in 2015 for a variety of projects. The foundations, established in 1991 and managed by the Regional Chamber, exclusively fund projects in Trumbull County.

The Warren Area Chamber of Commerce Education, Civic & Cultural and Economic Development foundations distributed $157,200 to multiple organizations in 2015 for a variety of projects. The foundations, established in 1991 and managed by the Regional Chamber, exclusively fund projects in Trumbull County.

While many of these organizations have received funds through the ECC in the past, new to the list for 2015 was the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Any Given Child program for the City of Warren/Warren City Schools. Warren is the 20th site chosen nationally and the first community chosen in Ohio for the program that creates a long-range arts education plan for students in grades K-8. The program will incorporate existing resources of the Warren City Schools, local arts organizations and the Kennedy Center to create a plan for arts education specific to the city. Students Motivated by the Arts (SMARTS) and its Executive Director Becky Keck are currently serving as the lead arts organization for Any Given Child Warren and spearheaded this opportunity for the community.

While the Kennedy Center covers a majority of the cost of this initiative with gift-in-kind services of $125,000, sites have to raise $25,000 to contribute to the first four years of the program. Warren is currently in the strategic planning phase and will make an announcement in the future regarding implementation.

Anita Lin, former director of the Ballet Western Reserve in Youngstown, who serves on the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the Kennedy Center, said the application process for Any Given Child was extremely competitive, as only three or four sites are chosen nationally to participate each year. Lin also noted that leaders in Warren and its school district, as well as elected officials and organizations that support their success and the success of the students, rallied very quickly to not only raise the required $25,000 but write numerous letters of support for Warren to be chosen for the program—more letters, in fact, than the Kennedy Center had received previously for any application.

Since 1991, the ECC Foundation has given more than $1.7 million to organizations. On Dec. 31, 2015, the Foundation’s assets totaled $749,665.

The Warren Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development (ED) Foundation has provided funds to support the Regional Chamber’s economic development activities in Trumbull County. The foundation distributed $100,000 to the Chamber in 2015 and has awarded more than $2.4 million to the organization since 1991.

However, these funds are only part of the Chamber’s overall budget for economic development, as the organization has spent an additional $28.8 million on development efforts in Trumbull County over the past 24 years, including $1.25 million in 2015 alone.

Since 1991, the Chamber’s ED team has completed 270 projects in Trumbull County, which resulted in investments totaling nearly $2.8 billion and the creation of 10,347 jobs, made 7,285 retention visits and helped to retain 21,396 jobs.

In 2015, a notable project that the team worked to accomplish was the Norfolk Southern rail upgrades. Staff assisted in securing $285,000 from the Ohio Rail Development Commission to support $571,000 in rail upgrades to a Norfolk Southern Line. In doing so, the team identified nine marketable properties in the Village of Lordstown. These upgrades not only benefit existing users but also present an opportunity for future development on land sites that can be rail served.